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When the love is strong and great between a couple a little rain, even a downpour, won’t sour their wedding day. Such was the case for these soul-mates who had a completely breathtaking wedding despite the weather. Old world charm meets whimsical elegance is the perfect theme that was used as inspiration for all the sweet details. Style Art Life not only helped with some of that great style but is responsible for the gorgeous photographs as well. See them all in the full gallery!

From Style Art Life…Dana knew the moment she saw Carl walked into the restaurant she was working at, that he was the one for her and “called dibs on him” amongst her colleagues. Timing was too soon when they first dated and had to bring the young relationship to a halt. Flash forward 10 years, Dana ended up in California while Carl remained in NY. Despite the many relationships that came to pass, Dana always knew Carl was the one. One evening, Dana took a leap of faith and placed a phone call to him. After their first weekend visit, Carl knew Dana was it for him and took a leap of faith 6 months later to leave NY for California to be with her. Their old past had become their charmed future.

Inspired by the concept of old meets new (like their relationship), Dana wanted to have a feeling of old world charm mixed with a spirit of whimsical panache. Dana wanted an event that was intimate, more like a dinner party. Before Dana had even picked her venue, she knew she wanted me to photograph her day and in helping with the event styling. Dana not only loved my photography work but my personal wedding style which she had seen on SMP. She used that as a jumping off point to begin planning her own sweet & whimsically charmed affair. Dana & I became friends through the planning process as I became her sounding board, as well as offered to scout out a beautiful “getting ready” location like the Cromwell Manor where we ended up.

Dana chose Brotherhood winery for its history and claim-to-fame of being America’s oldest winery. The winery has a hauntingly elegant wine cellar where dinner was held over long Tuscan style tables. Burlap details were contrasted with metal lanterns which illuminated the cellar lined with 100-year-old wine barrels. Seating charts were written on a slate board matching the slate numbers on the table. Dana also became very familiar with the Etsy online market as she found hand streamers, antique spoons for accents, personalized cufflinks as gifts & even someone to make a sign “I call dibs”. For their photo booth, a Polaroid camera along with whimsical props were set out for guests to leave a picture & note in the guest book. To embrace Dana’s Italian heritage, she had a frosting-free cannoli cake made. For her dress, it was another “Carl moment” after she tried on the Jim Hjelm dress, no other one compared. Though she initially purchased a different dress, her heart eventually brought her back to “the one”.

It was important to Dana to have an outdoor ceremony. Though plans were thwarted by heavy rain with no backup plan, the groom came up with a charming idea to have the ceremony under a tree that was thick enough to keep most of the rain out as guests gathered under an adjacent deck awning to watch. Dana walked down the aisle to the song “Marry Me” by the band Train which couldn’t be any more apropos if you listen to the lyrics. Though it turned into a rain drenched evening, the love between Dana & Carl beamed with sunshine through the dreary downpour.